Oceania Cruise Lines says Hays Travel’s decision to charter one of its ultra-luxury ships for July and August 2027 will raise awareness of the ultra-luxury brand in the UK market.
Hays and its partner cruise.co.uk are chartering Oceania Nautica for six exclusive cruises, most of which will operate out of Southampton.
It has meant that Oceania has had to cancel its scheduled sailings for the 650-passenger ship.
However, its UK & Ireland Vice President of Sales Paul Beale said: “To have the full support and focus of cruise.co and Hays will absolutely be beneficial to the overall awareness/visibility of Oceania Cruises.
“This is another key milestone in our brands growth within the UK. It’s an exciting step and reflects both the scale of commitment from the Hays group and the strength of our partnership as we look to grow the business together.
He said Oceania will be working closely with agents ‘to ensure we find a solution for any affected bookings that works for their clients’.
He added: “We took pre-booked guest numbers into account when selecting the sailings to charter.”
This will be the first time Hays has chartered a ship for a summer season and follows its acquisition a year ago of online travel agent cruise.co.uk.
Their exclusive, adult-only sailings on Oceania Nautica are:
- 17 July, ‘Iberian Homecoming’: three nights from Lisbon, visits Southampton. Prices from £699pp
- 20 July, no-fly ‘Norwegian Fjords and Nordic Light’: seven nights roundtrip from Southampton. Prices from £1,799pp
- 27 July, no-fly ‘Grand Iberian Tapestry’: 12 nights roundtrip from Southampton, Prices from £2,999pp
- 8 August, no-fly ‘Vineyards, Canvases and Chateaux’: eight nights roundtrip from Southampton. Prices from £2,099p
- 16 August, no-fly ‘Norwegian Fjords and Nordic Light’: seven nights roundtrip from Southampton. Prices from £1,899pp
- 23 August, ‘Iberian Return’: three nights from Southampton. Prices from £699
Pre-registration is open until 3 June and bookings will open on 4 June.
